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Fanfiction: storytelling tool or just smut?

Is it just to live out fantasies?

By Kyla GreenPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Fanfictions or just fanfics are works of literature created by fans of a certain series or intellectual property. Those works are often published online to be read and shared by other fans of the series. Fanfiction has gotten a bad reputation of being themed smut with fictional characters. That is not all true. If the reader refines their research, they will find detailed, well-thought and creative stories that will make the reader emotional and pleased. Like a kid wrote that? This is way more engaging than I thought.

The aspect of play is what pushes someone to write fanfiction. It is in a way an evolution of playing at the playground or with toys. With the internet, these stories that would otherwise live and die in the person's mind within a day can live on to be shared with other people.

Creativity. For most of us, we learn by repetition and practice. To write, correct and manage a fanfic can develop skills that would otherwise be put aside. When we are teens, for example, not all of us are thrilled about the idea of writing an assignment about a given book that we had to read within a week. Fanfiction gives them a playing grown to experiment with their writing. It allows the writer to test form and phrases out. They also get to try out different ideas and themes that they might never encounter in school. Some experiments may lead to some questionable choices and events in the narrative but isn't that what being a teenager all about? Just mess things up! If after a while the writer is ashamed of what they wrote, they can just delete it. The readers might forget about it as if it was a fever dream.

A part of fanfictions takes part in intellectual property. This gives the writer a template to work off. Let's say we are writing a fanfic about the Legend of Zelda. By taking place in a certain world or universe, the writer has certain rules to follow. Link is the main hero that goes to do stuff. Zelda is the magic princess. Link can use a sword but there are no cars in Hyrule. Of course, some bend the rules of reality in what is called Alternate Universes (AU). In those cases, it takes the known characters and dumps them in an unfamiliar time/place. It's to imagine the characters in different and appealing scenarios. Let's say we take Link and Zelda and we make them meet in a coffee shop. From what we know of the characters, how would they react? What would Zelda order? Is she more of a latte drinker or would she only drink black coffee? And what would Barista Link do? Is he still mute and does the order the best he can, or is he stunned that Zelda is out of her castle without supervision. Would he even be bothered? What happens if Ganondorf just showed up? Is he going to pester them or will he nonchalantly order a flat white with hazelnut? Really, anything goes and that's what's fun about it.

That isn't to say that fanfiction is all sunshine and rainbows. Some creations can be very explicit, uncomfortable or straight-up weird. Sometimes you get bland one-shot fantasies. Only once you dig a little deeper in the archive can people find the rare gem of an inspiring writer.

However, fellow fanfiction writers, fanfictions should stay as a hobby and exercice your writing. Do not make yourself sick writing something you don't feel passionate about anymore. Also, think twice before bringing your creations to the next level. No one wants another Fifty Shades of Gray moment. From the experience you gained by writing fanfictions, learn to create your own world and characters which one day, hopefully, fans will write fanfictions about.

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